Hipsters, realtors are looking for you. But not succeeding

The housing industry is keeping a close watch on hipsters. But they’re not really sure what that means.

A well-respected and oft-cited realty publication took a deep interest into the lives of “hipsters” when vice president of RealtyTrac Daren Blomquist wrote an article Wednesday titled “Top 20 Zip Codes for Flipping Homes to Hipsters” (no New England zip codes are on the list).

What is a hipster? Blomquist is admittedly not sure, though he appears to be using the term interchangeably — and perhaps regretabbly — with “Millenial” and any human being in the age category 25 to 34. “Why are hipsters not becoming homeowners?” he asks.

Naturally, because the Pew Research Center says Millenials are living with their parents — and Millenials is “a demographic heavy with hipsters,” says Blomquist. He sees more opportunity than anything in the hipsters or Millenials or humans aged 25-34 because of the untapped potential of new homeowners.

We’re sure all the hipsters love him for his altruistic positivity. Still, in a 600-word article, he gets a tad trigger happy rapping out”‘hipster” on the keyboard a whopping 17 times, headers and graphics notwithstanding.

If you were wondering this isn’t Blomquist’s first foray into modern youth’s (not-so-sub)culture.

Back in November he rattled off the “25 best places to rent to hipsters” where he revealed his ignorance right in the first sentence: “While the precise definition of hipsters is elusive — which is likely just how they want it — there’s no doubt the culture surrounding the hipster lifestyle has a major impact on local real estate markets, and mostly in a positive way.”

It should be noted that we assess Blomquist only narrowly escapes the demographic he’s writing about, judging by a quick Google Image search.

So if you’re looking for a home and call yourself a hipster, Millenial, or anyone between 25 and 34, drop Daren a line and pounce on one of those foreclosed homes before the flippers do.

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One of the most exciting offseasons in NBA history had its watershed moment on Wednesday, a 12-hour standoff between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers over free agent center DeAndre Jordan.

Ridiculous doesn’t even begin to capture all that transpired, from the storm of emojis to the storming and barricading of Jordan’s house by a cavalcade of Clippers. More

My friend has a dog, and she’s always been kind of half-assed about caring for it. I’ll see her out at a party or a barbeque all day long, so I know the dog is home alone, and sometimes she goes out right after she finishes a shift (she’s a waitress, so that might be pretty late), without even going home to feed the dog or let it out. The other day, though, I went over to her house and realized things have crossed a line. There were piles of dog feces in a couple of corners, and the entryway rug was soaked in urine when we walked in. She laughed it off and called the dog naughty, then cleaned up the poop and basically ignored it. I’m worried about the puppy, and about my friend; what kind of person does that to an animal? Should I call animal control on her?More

My parents agreed to help my sister and I with college. I went to a state school and saved them a bunch of money. My sister went to a private liberal arts school that cost three times as much. Now she’s dropping out, and she’s convinced my parents to give her the equivalent of her last year of tuition as a “nest egg,” since they “would have spent that money on her anyway.” I think that’s completely unfair, and I resent my sister for manipulating my parents and them for giving in. How can I get over those feelings? I always play by the rules, and I feel like I’m being punished for it.

-THE GOOD SON

There’s a reason parents love falling back on that phrase, “You think this isn’t fair? Well life isn’t fair.” It’s because they’re right.

If you want to tally up what your parents have done for you versus your sister in dollars and cents, you’re right, they’re being “unfair” to you. But the other side of this coin is that you’re clearly more capable of navigating the world on your own than your sister is.

Just look at the facts: You chose college responsibly, while she went somewhere expensive though she clearly didn’t value that. You finished your education and are moving on to the next phase of life, she’s dropping out. You clearly have your shit together in ways she doesn’t yet, but also in ways she may never achieve.

In a cosmic way, your sister might be the one who got the short end of the stick; maybe because of her wiring, or maybe because your parents indulged her, she’s not nearly as capable and successful as you are.

If anything, that’s not something you should resent her for, it’s something you should feel lucky about.

Try seeing this problem not in the light of money, but in the light of your parents loving their children no matter what. Your sister needs help right now, and they’re in a position to provide it. They’re choosing to do so because they don’t want her to wind up in a bad place.

You don’t need their help right now, and I’d wager anything they’re extremely proud of you for that.

If you really can’t get over the money, why not go to your parents with a “responsible child” proposal: Ask if you can use a similar “gifted” sum towards a down payment (now or in the future) or further education. If they say no, tell them how you feel: You’d like to be rewarded for your good choices, and instead it feels like your sister is being rewarded for bad ones.

Or, better yet, stop focusing on the dollar amounts your parents can give you, and try to pay closer attention to the sort of support that really matters, the kind that made you the “good son” in the first place.

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